Congratulations to the winners of our contest celebrating the launch of our new website!
One year business listings
Aaron Keuper, of Park Paws
Tawny Carlson, The Animal Pro, LLC
Sandy Daens, Kritter Sitter
Social media consultation
Linda Williams, Best Friend Sitters
Twitter background
Sally Jo Echternach, Welcome Home Pets
Custom Facebook fan page
Gregory Harding, Premier Dog Walks
Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who entered!
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P&G is recalling more cat food, due to possible salmonella contamination. This looks to be an expansion of the recall announced last week regarding a “small number of bags” in Loveland, CO. This recall is for the same product, but includes food sold in other parts of the country.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 31, 2010 – CINCINNATI, The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is voluntarily recalling a small number of bags from a specific lot of one of its dry cat food products due to potential salmonella exposure.
No illnesses have been reported, and no other Iams pet food products are involved.
Only one code date is affected by this announcement:
Iams Indoor Product Name: Weight Control with Hairball Care dry cat food
Version: 6.8 lb bag
Code Date: 02304173 (B1-B6)
UPC Code: 1901403921The company successfully traced and retrieved nearly all of the affected product and estimates that fewer than 60 bags from this production run may have been purchased by consumers.
This production run was sold through a single retailer in the following states: Illinois, New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.
Consumers who have purchased one of these few bags with the specific code date listed above should discard it. For a product replacement or refund, please call P&G toll-free at 800-862-3332 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST).
See the rest at the FDA: P&G Voluntarily Recalls a Small Amount of Dry Cat Food
Next?
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Proctor & Gamble is recalling a very small number of bags of cat food in Loveland, CO due to possible contamination with salmonella.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 29, 2010 – CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble (P&G) is voluntarily recalling a small number of bags of its Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care dry cat food which may have been sold recently in one or two stores in Loveland, Colorado.
These bags have the potential to contain salmonella, although no illnesses have been reported. No other Iams pet food products are affected.
The Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care cat food in question is sold in blue 6.8-pound bags. These bags feature a code date of 02304173 (B1-B6) and the UPC number 1901403921.
If you have this product, please discard it and call P&G toll-free for a product replacement at 800-862-3332 Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.
P&G has worked with its retailers to remove the affected product from stores in the area. P&G believes that only three bags may have been purchased recently by consumers in the area. Yet, as a precautionary measure, the company is initiating this retrieval.
You’ll find the full release on the FDA website: P&G Recalls Small Number of Bags of Cat Food From Stores in Loveland, Colorado
It seems odd that it’s only a few bags in one small area of the country. Will it expand? Who knows at this point.
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PetsitUSA has a new look! It’s sleek, up-to-date, and easier than ever to find what you’re looking for – someone to take care of your pets!
Our goal, in redesigning the website, wasn’t just to make PetsitUSA prettier – although it certainly is that! The new website gives our pet sitter, dog walker, and dog daycare members more features to tell potential clients about their businesses. They can now post images, lengthy descriptions about their services, and even links to their social media profiles.
And, for pet parents who visit PetsitUSA, it’s easier than ever to find that one special pet care provider to care for your pets. While the search feature on our old website was pretty prominent, it’s even more so on the new PetsitUSA! So, when you search for a pet sitter, dog walker, or dog daycare in your neighborhood, you’ll be able to find out more about that company through their expanded business listing.
We also have a number of articles that pet owners and pet professionals alike will find helpful. And we’ll be building on this as time goes on – adding more articles and information for pet parents.
I’m really excited about the new PetsitUSA website and I think you will be too! So, take a look around, and please come back and let us know what you think.
I look forward to hearing from you!
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If you’re like most pet sitters, your clients ask you quite a few questions about all sorts of pet topics. You might get questions like:
You can either say you don’t know, try your best to answer them, or go a little farther and find out where they’re likely to find a solid answer to their question. Going the extra mile, and becoming the go-to person for a myriad of pet questions can actually be a great marketing tool.
As a professional in the pet industry, your clients look at you as a resource. Some of them may even have the idea their pet sitter knows just about everything there is to know about pets! And even though that’s not the case, you can certainly make yourself into the best resource they’ll ever have. The idea isn’t to become the expert with all the answers.
You want to become the expert who knows where to find the answers.
Learn as much as you can about where to find the answers to your clients’ pet questions, so you can point them in the right direction. Here’s how to do just that:
Know your local brick & mortar pet businesses
Undoubtedly your clients will ask you to recommend businesses like pet supply stores, doggie bakeries, do-it-yourself dog washes, and more. Take time to visit as many of these places as possible so you can get an idea of what they’re like, how friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful the staff is. You’ll also want to get an idea of the types of products they offer, location, etc.
Know where to take pets for fun
Give your clients a list of local dog parks, pet meet-up groups, pet-friendly restaurants, etc. A nicely formatted list like this, on heavy card stock (maybe even laminated) with your contact info on it is a nice welcome gift for new clients.
Keep tabs on local pet events
Keep a list of upcoming pet events on your website or Facebook business page. Include adoption days, pet festivals, cat and dog shows, free vaccination clinics, dog meetups, and more.
Get to know local pet professionals
When your clients ask you for a referral to veterinarians, groomers, dog trainers, animal communicators, pet photographers, and others, you’ll want to refer them to someone you know will treat them right. To do this, you’ll need to get to know as many of these people as possible. Learn something about them and their services and if they excel in a particular area. For example, if your client with the Persian cat needs a groomer, and you send her to someone who specializes in cats, you’ll score big on that one!
Know where to go for health and behavior issues
A lot of times pet sitters are the first ones a pet owner will ask about their pets’ health issues. It’s not a good idea to give medical advice, but you might want to refer them to reputable resources in addition to referring them to their veterinarian. Learn about websites, books, foundations etc. that deal with a wide variety of pet health issues so you can give your client a good resource for the problem they’re facing with their pet.
What you’ll see happen is that your clients will think you know everything about pets. And, even though that’s not really the case, the fact that you know where to find the answers will make you their expert. They’ll call you when they need something, but they’ll also tell all of their pet friends about their wonderful pet sitter who found them a great dog trainer, helped with their cat’s health problem, recommended the best veterinarian, and more!
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If you’ve read my blog lone enough you know I’m a huge advocate of pet health insurance. It’s given me the peace of mind and financial help I so desperately needed for my dog Lydia and my cat Tequila – who have both battled cancer. Lydia is a cancer survivor while Tequila wasn’t as fortunate. My other dog, Archie, has also had some health issues, but thankfully nothing as severe as cancer. (See this post for a breakdown of how health insurance helped with Lydia’s care.)
Having pet health insurance (with Petplan) for all of my pets (my family members!) means I’ve been able to take care of them without worrying about my bank account. And, in Tequila’s case that’s been huge. I didn’t have to hold back treatment based on finances, which means I don’t have that “what if” in the back of my head. I know we did all we could for her.
September is National Pet Health Insurance Month, and to celebrate the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) is having a contest. They’re asking those of us who have pet health insurance for our cats and dogs to write a story about how it has helped when our pets needed it most. Prizes include money and iPads.
NAPHIA is also asking people to nominate their favorite veterinarian, and tell why that vet deserves the honor. The winning veterinarian will receive an educational grant and a plaque. I have a few favorite veterinarians – I’m not sure how I’d choose!
The goal of NAPHIA isn’t just to give away cool stuff – although they’re certainly doing that. They want to educate pet owners about the importance of pet health insurance, while at the same time work to constantly improve the industry. You can read all about their mission and goals on their website, so go checkout the NAPHIA website, read about the contest, and tell them about your pet and your vet! The deadline for entries is September 15.
You’ll also find the North American Pet Health Insurance Association on Facebook.
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Merrick has extended the the Beef Filet Squares and Texas Hold’ems pet food recall because of salmonella.
MERRICK PET CARE RECALLS BEEF FILET SQUARES & TEXAS HOLD’EMS 10 oz BAG (ITEM # 60016 ALL LOTS) BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE SALMONELLA HEALTH RISK
08.13.2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2010
Customer Inquiries: (800) 664-7387
Other Inquiries: JAMES WITCHER, COO (806) 322-2806Merrick Pet Care, Inc. of Amarillo, Texas is recalling all lots of its 10 oz “Beef Filet Squares” for dogs and “Texas Hold’ems” pet treats because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products. People handling the treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the chews or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers immediately.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
The “Beef Filet Squares” & “Texas Hold’ems” were shipped to distributors and retailers throughout the US. These individuals have been notified and have activated their recall procedures.
No illnesses have been reported to date.
Consumers who have purchased 10 ounce packages of “Beef Filet Squares for Dogs” & “Texas Hold’ems” are urged to return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-800-664-7387 M-F 8:00 – 5:00 CDT.
Is this getting old or what?
Just to refresh your memory, this isn’t the first time they’ve expanded their recall. They started recalling them back in January. See the Merrick news page for all four news releases.
(thanks to Carol for the tip on this one!)
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We’re keeping it under wraps for a while yet, but we’re almost ready to let you see the new website!
PetsitUSA is one of the oldest and most popular pet sitter directories online but we decided it was time to spiff things up a bit. So, we’ve been busy working on a fabulous new look and some new features that we can’t wait to show you!
To celebrate, we’re going to be giving a few things away especially for pet sitters, dog walkers, and dog daycares! (If this isn’t you, don’t worry – we’ll have another contest coming up soon!)
Here’s what we will be giving away:
Visit us on Facebook for more updates!
And once you get there click on the Biz Tips tab for 101 ways to market your pet care business.
You know there have to be some rules, so here they are:
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